


The Dying's World

by Sneeze_Meister



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Character Death, Child Abuse, Corpses, Forced Crossdressing, Magic and Science, Mild Gore, Multi, Mutant Powers, Past Lives, Pedophilia, Plot Twists, Survival, Thriller
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-06-21
Packaged: 2018-03-13 14:12:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3384674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sneeze_Meister/pseuds/Sneeze_Meister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before the End, Eren's best friend disappeared. 10 years into the End, Eren finds a child who looks suspiciously like him, but Eren can't be sure. In a world where monsters are real and radioactivity is everywhere, Eren and his friends need to help the young powerful boy and each other survive, even when crazy scientists and psychopaths come running. And even if the boy is the key to stopping the End.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, new chapter story. Will be updating both regularly. Kind of hard to explain this one. XD Probably will add more to tags and summary.

The rain had finally stopped the day Eren decided to go out for supplies. The sky had cleared up, and Eren knew that it was as good a day as any to search for useful items. His friends disagreed on his decision to go alone, but he needed time to think, time to clear his head.

Sighing, Eren looked around. He was somewhere in the demolished city of Trost, if his map was correct. The scenery was desolate yet beautiful at the same time. Tall skyscrapers had either fallen or leaned dangerously to one side, most of the windows on them broken. The roads were cracked and had many broken cars littering it. Eren passed by a truck that had a skeleton in the driver's seat.

Eren straightened his backpack on him, glancing behind him to make sure nothing was following him and that his rifle was still in place on his bag. He continued on his way down the street, trying not to think about how different the city had looked so long ago. Eren's chest ached just to be walking in it.

But that was exactly why he wanted to go alone. He didn't want anyone to see him cry. There were bad memories here, memories that he wanted to forget, yet think about at the same time.

After clearing the first block, Eren pulled out his map. After unrolling it, he studied it, mumbling to himself. There was a store that hadn't been swept yet several blocks away from him. Turning the corner, he headed down the main road. He couldn't afford to daydream; his eyes always had to be on his surroundings. He never knew what could be lurking out there, waiting to kill him.

Jogging down the main road, he looked around at all the broken buildings on either side of him. Each of their windows had been broken, the shards scattered across the sidewalk. If Eren didn't know that his friends waited for him back at home, he would've surely thought the whole world was empty.

A little ways further down the main road was a bus stop. The sign was old and faded and the bench's paint had mostly peeled off all the way. Eren didn't really pay the bus stop much notice usually, but today something was different about it- there was a figure sitting at the stop.

Eren paused, not knowing what to do. The figure could just be a skeleton, since it wasn't moving a bit, but he wasn't quite sure. The figure was also quite small, and that surprised him. He decided he needed to take a closer look, and moved cautiously towards the bus stop, his hand inching towards his rifle.

Once he got close enough that he could see the figure clearly, he froze, his jaw dropping. The figure was definitely not a skeleton. The figure that was sitting on the bench was a _child_. Eren had honestly thought that children were killed off a decade or so ago. But here this little boy was, sitting on the bench as still as a statue, staring straight ahead.

The child was quite cute, actually. He was fairly small, and he had blonde hair framing his face and big blue eyes. He was wearing a blue jacket that seemed to be a size or two too big and black leggings with dusty white sneakers on his feet. There was a small black backpack on his back as well.

Eren kept walking closer towards the child, his mouth still open and twitching slightly, as if trying to say something. He was awed that a child was actually still alive, but what he was really awed by was-

The child suddenly turned to look at him. Eren froze, his jaw snapping shut. After staring at him for a moment, the kid sighed, and went back to staring straight ahead. Eren looked around, once again drawing a blank on what to do. He knew he couldn't leave the kid there (he was also surprised that no monsters had gotten to him already), but he didn't want any extra weight dragging him down.

"Uh, hey, kid," Eren said, rubbing the back of his neck. The boy didn't respond. Eren cleared his throat and moved closer to him, until finally he was kneeling about a foot away from him. The child slightly moved his head so that Eren was in his direct line of sight.

"What's your name?" Eren asked. The boy was silent for a long moment, and Eren wondered if he was actually going to tell him or not.

"...Armin," the boy mumbled. So that was his name, huh? A chill seemed to go through Eren, and he forced himself to not think about anything else but this child sitting in front of him.

"My name's Eren," he introduced himself, extending his hand. All Armin did was stare at it. Eren cleared his throat and pulled it back to his side.

"Is anyone with you?" Eren asked. Armin nodded. "Who?"

"Mommy and Daddy," Armin told him. Eren nodded, looking away.

"How old are you?"

"...Eight."

"Ah, I see," Eren didn't really know what else to say.

"How old are _you_?" Armin asked. Eren blinked.

"Well, I'm twenty-three," he said, half smiling. Swallowing, he decided he'd ask about the kid's parents.

"Where are your mom and dad?" he asked.

"I dunno."

"Hm. Why are you sitting here?"

"Mommy told me to."

"And how long have you been here?"

"All night."

"Oh."

"I'm waiting for my parents to come back."

Suddenly, Eren got an idea. "Hey, why don't you come with me? I wouldn't feel right leaving you all alone here, and together we can look for your parents." Armin seemed to think about the idea.

"You don't seem like a bad man," he said. Eren gave him a smile.

"Well, I don't view myself as one," Eren replied. After thinking it over for another second, Armin pushed himself off the bench and stretched. Eren stood up, looking down at Armin as Armin looked up at him.

"Okay, Armin, let's get a move on. I have a store I need to sweep and on the way we can look for your parents," he said, beginning to walk again. He looked behind him to make sure Armin was following him. There was slight hesitation to follow Eren, but eventually Armin followed him, walking right behind him.

There was a silence between them that Eren didn't know how to fill. They were almost at the store, anyway, so he guessed it didn't matter. He had no idea that the timid boy behind him would be the first to speak.

"Why are you alone?" Armin asked. Eren glanced behind him.

"Hm?"

"Isn't there safety in numbers? So why are you 'sweeping' alone?" Damn, Armin sure was inquisitive for being eight years old.

"Well, I just like being by myself sometimes," Eren said, giving him a smile before turning to look in front of him again.

"I walk a lonely road. S'only road I know so I walk alone," Armin sang, his voice light. Eren turned to look at him again, surprise on his face.

"You know that song?" he asked. Armin nodded and pulled out an MP3 Player out of his backpack, earbuds tightly wrapped around it.

"Mommy gave it to me," he told Eren, looking at it fondly. Before he could put it away, Eren spoke.

"Isn't the batteries on that supposed to be long dead?" he asked, looking confused. Armin shook his head.

"No. It's on full battery right now."

"Huh. Maybe you should teach me what you're doing so I can go on my iPad," Eren said, chuckling. Armin stared at him, not getting it. Eren gave him a sheepish smile and faced the front again. Armin put his MP3 Player back in his backpack.

Eren checked his map again. The store shouldn't be that far now. Occasionally, he looked behind him to see if Armin was still there, and there the boy would be, walking behind him and kicking a pebble across the road.

They came to an intersection, and Eren looked around before turning down the street on the left. Shops and other buildings lined the street, each one of them looking as decayed as the last. Eren made sure to look through each shop window, in case there were supplies or monsters nearby. Everything was surprisingly quiet so far, which made Eren uneasy.

Finally, they got to the store. It was a normal convenience store, plus all the dust, broken things, and glass spread everywhere. There was no door, only a door-shaped gap in the space where the door should've been. The door itself seemed to have been flung against the wall a long time ago, because it was crumpled against the back wall, a thick layer of dust covering it. There was an awful smell emitting from the store, and Eren couldn't tell where the source was. Armin covered his nose.

Stepping inside, Eren quickly went between all the aisles, telling Armin to stay put. Once he made sure the store was clear of any monsters, he went back to him.

"Come on, let's search for supplies," Eren told him. Armin nodded, still holding his nose. Eren walked around the store, but this time he was slower, trying to find anything of use. There was some tape and bandages sitting on one of the racks, and Eren quickly slipped off his backpack and swept them inside. He turned around to see what Armin was up to, but saw he was gone.

"Armin? Where are you?" Eren called, trying not to panic. He moved so that he was next to the check out counter.

"Right here," Armin said, moving from behind the counter. Eren jumped, but then calmed down when he saw it was Armin. Armin held out his arms, which held a bunch of canned food. Eren smiled and held the backpack in front of him. Armin poured the cans in there.

"Great job, kiddo," Eren said, ruffling Armin's hair. Armin gave him a shy smile.

There was a growling sound and some rustling a little ways away. Eren saw some movement out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly ushered Armin behind the counter, crouching next to him. He opened the cabinet door and helped Armin inside of it.

"Now stay put, and don't make a sound," whispered Eren. Armin nodded, hugging his knees to his chest, and Eren closed the cabinet door. He moved so that he could see what was going on in front of the counter. Two black humanoid figures were crawling over to an old rusty locker on the wall a little ways away. Eren watched as one of them tore open the door. A dead body covered in maggots fell to the ground, and they both began devouring it. So that's what was making the smell.

"Damn Empties," Eren breathed, watching them tear into the corpse. He slowly pulled out his rifle, aiming at one of their heads. He took in a deep breath, put his finger on the trigger, and squeezed.

A shot rang out, and the Empty that Eren had aimed for fell to the ground, not moving. The other one screeched and turned to Eren, lunging at him. Eren swore and pulled out a pocket knife as the thing tacked him to the ground. They struggled for a moment, but finally Eren stabbed the thing in the neck over and over again. The monster gave one final growl and collapsed on top of Eren. Eren shoved the thing to the side and put his knife away and his gun back into his holster.

He moved over to where Armin was hiding and opened the cabinet, helping Armin out. Eren straightened up. Screeches from other Empties sounded really close by.

"Dammit," Eren hissed, glaring at the dead monsters. He then realized Armin was standing right next to him. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. There was a man I was with who swore all the time," Armin said. Eren gave him a curious look and picked him up. Armin was surprisingly light.

"Really now? Why don't you tell me all about this man while we get out of here?" he asked, beginning to jog out of the store. Armin nodded, his head resting on Eren's shoulder.

"He was a really short guy who glared at everything. Even though he looked mean, he wasn't. When the scientist girl told me that I couldn't have sweets because of my diet, he went and snuck me some candy bars," Armin said. Eren hummed thoughtfully as they left the store and continued to jog down the road.

"Uh huh. I thought you said you were with your parents?"

"They were with the scientist girl and the short man. But then last night they took me away from them and we went away. After a few hours I think, we heard loud bangs like the ones that were in the store, and mommy told me to stay right at the bench and that they'd be right back. And then during the day you found me," Armin finished his story. Eren had a grim look on his face.

"Custody issues, huh?"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

Eren glanced behind him and almost swore again. The Empties seemed to have found them, because they were climbing up walls and jumping between rooftops, chasing after them. Eren picked up the pace.

"Shit, we gotta get outta here," he said. Armin looked at all the monsters chasing them.

"We don't want them with us?" he asked.

"Oh _yes_ , we definitely don't want those things chasing us," Eren replied. Armin sighed and buried his head in the crook of Eren's neck, closing his eyes.

"It's okay, Armin, you don't have to be scared. We'll make it out," Eren assured him, turning the corner onto another street. He didn't slow down in the slightest. After running for some time, Eren couldn't hear screeches or wails anymore. Slowing down, Eren glanced behind him. The Empties had stopped following them. Eren stopped next to a gray van. Glancing around, he strained his ears, wondering if they were trying to sneak up on them. He set Armin down.

"I think they might've lost us, but I need to make sure. Hide under the van until I get back," Eren said. Armin nodded and crawled under there, and Eren jogged off, checking to make sure the coast was clear. About a minute later, Eren came back, telling Armin to come out.

After Armin brushed himself off, Eren ruffled his hair again. "You did a great job back there," he told him. Armin thanked him. Eren looked around again, smiling when an idea popped into his head.

"You wanna sit on my shoulders?" he asked. Armin's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Come on, I'll help you up!" Eren said, Armin nodded and Eren helped him up onto his shoulders. Armin lightly kicked Eren's chest with the back of his feet, but Eren didn't mind.

"Okay, I'm gonna go at a jog, so you may wanna hold on," Eren warned. Armin gripped Eren's hair, and the brunette started a fast jog in the direction of home, the sun beginning to set.

Once the sun was touching the horizon, Eren was at the edge of the city. There was another deep ache in his chest, but he ignored it, not looking back at the city. Armin, on the other hand, was looking all around, acting like a lookout on top of Eren's shoulders.

Beyond the city was the country. Open land surrounded them on all sides, and there were little abandoned ranches dotted here and there. There was barely any plant life to be seen; a few patches of grass here and there, and the odd lone tree. Eren kept close to the road.

"Where are we going?" Armin asked.

"Back home," Eren answered.

"Your home?" Armin's voice had grown quiet.

"...Yeah," Eren said. Armin didn't say anything else.

After trekking through the open countryside for several miles, they reached a huge wall. Eren's neck had to crane all the way so that Eren could see the top. Armin was awed by the structure. Eren noticed his reaction and stopped a few feet away from the wall.

"This wall was built before your time, back when the End began," Eren said. Armin listened carefully. "The people built this wall because they thought it would protect them from the creatures that were attacking them. Sadly, they were either able to scale it or were already inside, so it proved to be useless."

"Ah," was all Armin said.

"We called it Wall Maria," Eren said, walking over to a covered manhole in front of the wall. He set Armin down and got to his knees, moving aside the cover. Armin watched him.

"Okay, now wait here, and I'm gonna climb down first. Don't worry, the sewers here dried out a long time ago," Eren said, going and jumping into the manhole. Armin peered into the blackness. Eren reached up his arms, and Armin jumped down into Eren's waiting arms.

Eren set Armin down. "Okay, hold on."

Armin watched Eren reach up and cover the manhole again. He pulled out something from his pocket, and a second later, dim light began radiating from the flashlight. The flashlight began flickering, however, and Eren groaned.

"No, no, no! C'mon, don't give out on me now!" he said, hitting the flashlight against his palm. The light kept flickering. Armin hummed and closed his eyes. After hitting the flashlight a couple more times, it began working again, the light bright and steady.

"Okay, good. Come on, Armin. It's just a little further now," Eren said, and they walked deeper into the sewers.

Even though the sewer was dry, it still had that disgusting smell lingering, and Armin covered his nose. There was graffiti all over the walls, saying mostly bad words and gang signatures. The only light source was from Eren's flashlight, but it lit the path ahead well.

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" Eren asked, waving the flashlight around a fork in the path. After thinking for a moment, he took the path on the left, and Armin followed him.

"Only if there's something bad there," Armin responded.

"All you have to worry about in here are radioactive rats. They bite, but if you're wearing good shoes you'll be fine," Eren told him.

"I think I'll be okay," Armin said.

They walked in silence until they got to another manhole. Eren reached up and pushed the cover aside. Telling Armin to wait, he climbed out of the sewer and back onto the Earth's surface. He looked back down and reached his hands down. Armin grabbed onto them and Eren pulled him up, grunting.

They were currently in a barren forest filled with dead trees and bushes. Weeds were the only plants to have thrived during the last decade, and they choked any life left within the other plants. Armin made a tsking noise.

"I know it doesn't look the best, but it's what we've got," Eren said, shrugging. He went and covered up the manhole before continuing to walk. Armin followed him, seeing a log cabin in the distance.

A few minutes later, they were at the front door. Eren didn't say anything to Armin, he just went and knocked on the door. But it wasn't a regular knock. It was almost like a code.

Knock. Knock. Knock, knock. Knock.

Pause.

Then there were two knocks coming from the other side of the door, and it opened to reveal a short guy. He grinned when he saw Eren.

"Eren! You're finally back!" he said.

"Yeah, and I got us some more supplies!" Eren said, and they both gave each other what was called a 'bro hug.'

"What'd you get?" the guy asked.

"I got tape and bandages. But thanks to this kid over here, I got an armful of canned food, too," Eren said, gesturing to Armin. The guy looked down and his eyes widened.

"Whoa, I thought kids were extinct!" the guy said.

"Yeah, me too!" Eren said. The guy got down on one knee in front of Armin.

"Hey there, little man. What's your name?" he asked.

"...Armin," Armin said, looking down at his feet. The guy smiled.

"Cool! My name's Connie! How old are you?" Connie introduced himself, offering his hand.

Armin took it. "Eight," he said. Connie's smile widened.

"Really? You must be all grown up, then!"

Armin shrugged. "I guess... How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen. Supposed to be in college getting high, but that dream's been gone for a long time."

"What?"

"Connie, stop being inappropriate," Eren said, shaking his head. Connie laughed and stood up.

"Well, come on in, little man! Let's go show you off to the others!" he said, letting them both inside. He closed the door behind them and led them into the living room.

The living room was simple enough. There were two couches; one against the wall and the other in front of the room facing away from the entrance. There was a recliner in the corner, and the television stand held a very dusty looking TV. The living room and kitchen were an open floor plan, the counter jutting out as the boundary between the two. Everything was lighted by lanterns and candles. There was a hallway on the right side.

A girl with short black hair was in the kitchen. There was a freckled girl with a ponytail sitting on the recliner, a girl with long blonde hair sitting on her lap. A guy with an undercut and a freckled boy were sitting on the couch against the wall, and another girl with a ponytail was sitting on the couch facing away from them.

Connie took Eren's backpack and walked into the kitchen, setting it on the island counter. Armin hid behind Eren's legs.

"Eren, you're back!" said the freckled boy. Eren nodded.

"Hey, Marco! I brought plenty of canned food, some tape, and bandages," Eren told him.

"Looks like supplies are getting kind of scarce. We may need to move base," the freckled girl said.

"That's not all I brought, though," Eren said, an amusing tone leaking into his words. That caught everyone's attention.

"What else did you bring?" asked the girl on the freckled girl's lap. Eren looked behind him, and smiled when he saw Armin hiding behind him.

"Come on out, Armin. Don't be shy," Eren coaxed. Armin hesitantly peeked around Eren's legs at them. Gasps came from all around the room.

"Oh my God!" the blonde girl exclaimed. "He's so adorable!"

Eren gestured at her. "Armin, this is Krista. She's sitting in Ymir's lap. Mikasa is the girl in the kitchen, Sasha is the one sitting on the couch closest to us, and the ones sitting on the other couch are Marco and Jean," Eren pointed at each in turn. Armin looked at them all with wide eyes.

"We can't keep a kid here," Ymir said. Krista frowned at her.

"I agree with her, a kid is just a useless mouth to feed," Jean added, crossing his arms.

"Also, we don't know where he's been," Mikasa said, locking eyes with Eren. He narrowed his eyes.

"I found him at the bus stop on Main Street. He was sitting there waiting for his parents. Apparently some custody issues happened, and... his parents disappeared," Eren explained. His voice at the end indicated what everyone was thinking.

"But we'll find them again," Armin said. Everyone exchanged glances.

"Still another mouth to feed, body to take care of," Jean said. Marco gave him a look.

"I can be useful!" cried Armin, looking upset. Eren ruffled Armin's hair.

"It's true. Without him I would've never found all those cans of food," Eren said.

While everyone was thinking, Krista seemed to have already made her decision. She stood up, ignoring Ymir's protests, and headed over to where Eren and Armin stood. Bending down, she smiled at Armin, and he gave a small smile back. Krista wrapped her arms around Armin and lifted him up, holding him.

"I don't think he's any harm, Mikasa," Krista said, kissing Armin's forehead. Armin looked around again.

"Mikasa, Jean, and Ymir don't like me, do they?" Armin asked, looking at Krista. Jean looked shocked, Ymir didn't look happy, and Mikasa was expressionless.

Krista chuckled. "Of course they like you, Armin! They just need to get used to you."

Mikasa decided to interject. "Okay, we can keep him. Only if we see what's in his backpack." Eren looked over at Armin.

"Armin, it's your choice if you want us to look through your stuff," he told him. Armin thought about it. Finally, he looked over at Mikasa and nodded. She marched over and gently pulled the backpack off him, going and setting it on the island counter. Everyone crowded around her to see what was inside.

Upon opening the backpack, they found a photo of two smiling adults (the mother and father), the MP3 Player with the white earbuds wrapped around it, several chocolate bars (one of them half eaten), and two bottles of water.

"Hm, seems alright," Sasha said, glancing at Mikasa. Everyone except Mikasa, Ymir, and Jean agreed with her. Mikasa was staring at the contents.

"If Marco's alright with him here, then so am I," Jean said. Marco nodded at him.

"The contents of the bag seem harmless enough," Mikasa concluded. Everyone turned to look at Ymir. She huffed and looked away.

"I don't care about stupid children, anyway," she told them. Connie and Sasha cheered, the latter going and taking Armin out of Krista's arms. Krista gave Sasha a look, and Sasha stuck her tongue out at her.

Everyone knew that nothing would be the same now that Armin was in their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I procrastinate. Sorry about that.

The camera flickers to life, and it shows Armin in the footage, looking into the lenses. After a moment, he smiles and turns it around, showing the living room. Armin begins to walk towards the kitchen where Krista is. She appears to be hand sewing something. Armin walks up to her.

"Hey, Auntie Krista! Look what I found!" Armin said, going and handing her the camera. Krista took it and studied it. She gasped.

"How did you get this to turn on, Armin?" Krista asked, her eyes looking wide. She turned it so that the lenses pointed to Armin. Armin shrugged and the camera shook a little.

"I found it and wanted it to turn on, so I pressed the power button," Armin explained, smiling slightly. Krista looked scared.

"Armin, please go and put that away. We can't let the others see it," she said, pointing at the camera. Armin made a confused face.

"Why?"

"Because, um... We don't want them to get jealous! If they saw how pretty that camera is, then they'll definitely be jealous!" Krista said, the lie obvious on her face. Armin bought it though, and smiled.

"Wouldn't want them like that!" Armin said, and Krista laughed, patting him on the head. After a moment, Armin ran off again, going to put the camera away, and Krista breathed a sigh of relief.

But then Armin brought back something equally worse to expose to the others.

"Look! Look! Auntie Krista, look what I got for you! Just for you!" Armin called as he ran back to the kitchen. Krista looked over, only to have her eyes widen in surprise. It was a blooming flower that was in Armin's hands.

"Where was that?" Krista asked, staring at it in bewilderment.

"Outside," Armin replied, holding it out to her. Krista slowly took the flower from him. She studied it as she twirled it around in her hands, mesmerized. Then she snapped out of it.

"Armin... we need to keep this a secret as well," Krista said, looking over at him. Armin nodded, his hands behind his back, before going and skipping away. Krista stared after him, a grim expression on her face.

A little while later, Krista hears something that she thought she'd never hear again. It was beautiful, really, and she almost cried when she realized what it was.

She was hearing music.

She stood up so quickly that the chair made a loud squeal of protest. The music didn't falter, however. It just seemed to get louder. She quickly headed out of the kitchen and into the living room, where the source of the music was coming from. It was from a stereo on the couch, and Armin was dancing to the Lady Gaga song, pretending to know the words.

"OoooOoOooOOOOOOhhhh, caught in... bad... romance!" he sang off key as he twirled around. Krista stared in shock. There wasn't a moment to think. Every second that music played, Armin was in danger. She shut off the stereo with a forceful push of a button. Armin paused in the middle of his dance routine.

"Awwwwww! Auntie Krista! Why did you do that!?" he asked, his face turning into a pout. Krista brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, feeling her stress levels rising. She moved the stereo onto the floor and took Armin's hands as she sat down, leaning towards him to be at his eye level.

"Armin, where did you find that?"

"It was in the closet. I opened it and there was a CD, so I pressed play." Armin's innocence was terrifying to her.

"Yes, but _how_ did you get it to play?"

"I pushed the button."

Krista sighed and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Electronics weren't supposed to work anymore. The batteries were either rusted or long gone in that stereo, she knew it. So how the hell did he get it to work?

"Armin, I want you to understand something, okay?" she waited until he nodded his head to continue speaking. "I don't want you doing those sort of things around the others. They're already suspicious of you, and I don't want them getting any... ideas."

"Like, do what?"

"Making electronics work and bringing in living plants. It's... just not normal anymore. Maybe before the End but now... I just want you to be safe, Armin."

"Is what I do a bad thing?"

"No, Armin, it's not. It's just... strange."

Armin looked sad, even a little scared, so Krista ruffled his hair and gave him a small smile. "Tell you what; I want you to trust your gut. If you feel like you need to do something, then do it. Chances are it'll turn out well in the long run."

"Really?" Armin's eyes widened at this.

Krista giggled. "Yes, really. Just don't tell anyone else." Armin nodded, and Krista let go of his tiny hands. He quickly ran down the hall, off to explore more things, Krista thought. She rubbed her hands together and hugged herself to suppress a shiver running down her spine before standing. She bent down to get the stereo and put it back in that dusty closet, where it belonged.

After she put it away, the door opened, and Krista walked out of the hallway to see the group returning from another scavenging trip. Krista's face brightened when she saw Ymir walk in, unscathed. She still checked her over, however.

"What, nothing for me?" Jean asked her, and Ymir socked him in the arm. He laughed, but then rubbed his sore arm. Eren thought about hitting him in the same spot, but thought better of it when Armin ran down the hall, his body covered in dust bunnies. Eren laughed and picked up Armin, swinging him around before settling him in his arms.

"Why are you covered in dust, huh? You're getting it all over me!" Eren said, making no move to brush off the dust particles that were now on his jacket. Armin grinned, pulling a stray strand of hair away from Eren's shoulder.

"I wanted to see what was under one of the beds!" he said. Several of the group members laughed while Ymir rolled her eyes and Krista made a lighthearted tsking noise. She pulled Armin from Eren's grasp.

"It's time you get a bath, mister," she said, brushing off some dust on his chest. He cried out and tried to struggle from her arms.

"I'm sorry, little man, you fought bravely," Connie said as Krista went out the back door. "You'll die in honor!"

"Connieeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Armin screamed, dramatically reaching a hand out to him, and the other did the same, wiping his eyes as if there were tears. Sasha was the only one actually in tears because she was laughing too hard, though.

"So, how often did you get a bath back where you're from?" Krista asked as she went over to the well a few feet behind the house. A metal water basin was sitting next to it, the edges of it rusted over. Armin thought for a moment.

"Every couple of days or so... I haven't had one in a bit."

"Well, around here, the water is pulled from the well and we all take turns bathing out here one night a week. Usually more than one person goes out there so that it's not as dangerous, but we can manage for now. The Empty Ones haven't come around lately."

Armin nodded, and Krista set him down on the dirt before grabbing the old, fraying rope connected to the well. As she pulled, the bucket slowly descended into the blackness. Krista strained her ears to hear the sound of it hitting the water surface. When it did, she pulled a bit more until it was completely submerged.

"Is the water safe?" Armin asked as she began to pull the bucket up.

Krista nodded. "Yes, this is one of the few wells that aren't full of radioactive water. When we move base, we'll have to find a new way to get water and take baths."

After the bucket rose completely, Krista took it and dumped it into the basin. It only filled a quarter of the way. She repeated the process of getting water until the basin was three quarters full. She then let go of the rope.

"Okay, Armin, you ready?" she asked. Armin nodded and took off his clothes before stepping into the water basin. He shrieked when he felt how cold it was, immediately taking his foot out. Krista apologized about how cold it was, saying that she couldn't do anything about it. Armin huffed, but reluctantly sat down in the water, shivering slightly.

Krista walked around the well, seeming to look for something. Armin watched as her face drew into a scowl. "Dangit!"

"What is it, Auntie Krista?"

"I forgot we took the soap inside. Here, I'll go to the door and ask Ymir to get some."

Armin hugged his knees to his chest and looked down at the clear water as Krista jogged over to the door. She opened it and yelled for Ymir. The cranky girl appeared a couple seconds later.

"Yeah?" Ymir asked, fixing her ponytail.

"We forgot that the soap was inside. Can you get it, please?" Krista asked, flashing Ymir a smile. The other grumbled, but headed down the hall. Krista glanced back over at the well and saw Armin splashing around in the water.

"Here," Ymir said, handing Krista several bottles. Krista thanked her and headed back over to Armin. Ymir watched them for a moment, then sighed and closed the door. Setting down the bottles, Krista sat down in front of Armin, who studied her with wide eyes.

Taking the bottle of shampoo, Krista instructed Armin to wet his hair. Armin leaned back until his head was submerged, then quickly sat up. After scrubbing the shampoo in, Krista rinsed it out with several handfuls of water. Once the conditioner was soaking in Armin's blonde locks, Krista scrubbed his skin hard.

"Oww!" Armin complained, but Krista still went on, scrubbing his body raw.

"Cleanliness is pain, Armin," was all she said.

A few more complaints later, Armin was clean. Krista slapped her hands together, a proud look on her face, while Armin had his arms crossed and was pouting. She stood up and turned towards the house.

"I'll go get you a towel, Armin! Stay right there!" she said, disappearing into the house. Armin scratched his head and huddled there, still shivering.

A low hissing sound emitted from behind Armin, and he whirled around to see an Empty hunched there, staring at him. His eyes widened, and all he could do was shake and stare into those empty white eyes. The creature had no actual pupils, but Armin could still tell that it was staring at him.

After a moment, the creature leaned in, and Armin scrambled back, water splashing onto the ground as he tipped the basin over, falling onto his back with a small cry. The creature crawled over to him, its sharp claws digging into the metal. It leaned in and sniffed Armin's face, and Armin didn't dare move.

"I'm back-" Krista stopped when she exited the house and saw the Empty. The towel dropped to the floor, and the creature looked up and made a loud screeching noise when it saw Krista. It lunged at her with lightning speed, knocking her onto the ground. Krista screamed and tried to get away, Armin watching with scared eyes.

Suddenly, a bang echoed, and the Empty fell to the side, its head oozing green blood. Krista was breathing heavily as she looked up and saw Ymir's grim expression, a smoking pistol in her hands. She went over and helped Krista up, who was shaking, her eyes wide with fear.

"Head inside. I'll dry off Armin," Ymir said, and Krista gladly obliged. The noise of the door closing rang in Armin's ears, and he covered his closed eyes with his hands, remembering the putrid smell of the creature's breath.

He only opened them when he felt the towel dry him off. He stood up to help Ymir completely dry him. They both remained wordless, even after the deed was done. He took the towel from Ymir's outstretched hand and wrapped it around his body, and Ymir picked up his clothes.

They headed inside.


End file.
